Agitator for washing machines



I March 8, 1938.

E. FABER 2,110,661

AGITATOR FOR WASHING MACHINES Filed Feb. 20, 1936 Fi I.

1 ;i W V I5 I I l v H Inventor: Erich Faber;

Attorneg.

Patented Mar. 8, 19

UNITED STATES AGITATOR FOR WASHING MACHHVES Erich Faber, Bridgeport, Conn, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application February 20, 1936, Serial No. 64,853

6 Claims.

clothes primarily by a rubbing action between the agitator and the clothes.

For a consideration of what I believe to be novel and my invention, attention is directed to the following description and the claims append- I ed thereto.

In the accompanying drawing. Fig. l is a fragmentary elevation partially in section of a. washing machine having an agitator ernying my invention, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the agitator.

Referring to the drawing, the tub i, which is provided with a cover la, is supported at the center by a tubular post i projecting through a central opening in the bottom of the tub. The tub rests on a flange t on the post and is clamped between the flange and a nut l threaded on the post. Suitable gaskets it are arranged between the tub and the flange and the nut to prevent leakage. The lower end of post 2 is secured in any suitable manner (not shown) to the top of a gear casing t. The gear casing is supported by a shirt l which is provided with supporting legs The gear casing projects outside the skin l and from the projecting end of the gear casing extends a post 9 at the upper end of which is supported a wringer it. Through the post i err tends a shaft (not shown) for -driving the wringer. This shaft is rotated by suitable gearing (not shown) contained within the gear casing t.

The post 2 extends upwardly into the tub above the normal water level, which is indicated by broken lines. A- vertical shaft it extends upwardly through the post and is journaled at the upper end in a bearing l2 carried by the post. Fixed to the upper end of the shaft is a nut it which fits into a complementary opening in the hub it of the agitator, thereby forming a driving connection between the shaft and the agitator. The shaft is supported by a thrust washer between the nut l3 and the upper end of the post 2. A cup l6 which is snapped in place over the end of the hub I4 prevents water which is splashed over the upper end of the agitator during washing from leaking around the shaft ll. During washing, the shaft ii is oscillated through an angle of the order of degrees by means of the gearing contained within the gear casing 6. This gearing forms no part of my invention and is not illustrated, since gearing of this type is well known.

The body portion of the agitator is cone-shaped and flares radially downward and outward toward 5 the bottom of the tub and on its outer surface is provided with circumferentially spaced longitudinally extending corrugations l'l. These corrugations increase in depth from the hub l4 toward the bottom of the tub. At the lower end 10 of the agitator is a disk it which closes the space between the corrugations.

When the agitator is oscillated, the corrugations ll function as vanes which cause the water within the tub to flow downward. along the 15 daring surface of the agitator, outward along the bottom of the tub, up along the sides of the tub, and inward at the top of the tub toward the hub ill of the agitator. This circulation oi the water which is indicated by dotted lines is in Fig. l causm the clothes to follow this general path. In addition to the circulation of the water indicated by the dotted lines it, there is also an oscillatory movement of the water around the agitator. Due to the inertia oi the 25 clothes, the clothes do not follow oscillatory movement but remain relatively stationary adjacent the agitator. As the agitator oscillates, a suction is produced between adjacent corrugations, causing the clothes to be drawn against 30 the agitator and to be subjected to a rubbing action by the corrugations. The washing of the clothes is primarily eflectd by this rubbing ac-v tion between the corrugations and the clothes. Since the clothes are continually circulating, all parts of the clothes are subjected to this rubbing action. The disk it at the base of the agitator closes the space between the corrugations and prevents jamming of the clothes between the lower end of the agitator and the tub. The 0 circulation of the'clothes is relatively slow so that the clothes remain in contact with the agitator for a substantial time. The flaring of the body of the agitator prevents tangling of the clothes around the agitator and also during its oscillation tends to cause the clothes to slide downwlard along its surface toward the bottom of the tub. This action may be explained as a movement of material caused by agitation of an inclined surface on which the material rests. Since the corrugations l l increase in depth toward the lower end of the agitator, the rubbing action between the agitator and the clothes becomes more violent toward the bottom or the tub. However, since the flow of water also increases toward the lower end of'the agitator, the increase in rubbing action does not damage the clothes. The deepening of the corrugations II also results in a simpler construction to manui'acture since the increase in depth of the corrugations compensates for the increase in circumi'erence of the agitator.

\ What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 01 the United States is:

1. In a washing machine having a tub, an agitator in the tub comprising a body portion flaring radially outward toward one end and having relatively shallow closely spaced longitudinally extending corrugations circumferentially spaced on the outer surface thereof, and a shaft for oscillating the agitator.

2. In a washing machine having a tub. an agitator in the tub comprising a cone-shaped body portion having relatively shallow closely spaced longitudinally extending corrugations circumferentially spaced on the outer surface thereof, and a shaft for oscillating the agitator.

3. In a washing machine having a tub, an agitator adapted to be mounted adjacent the bottom of the tub comprising a body portion flaring radially downward and outward toward the bottom of the tub and having relatively shallow closely spaced longitudinally extending corrugations circumferentially spaced on the outer surface thereof, and a shaft for oscillating the agitator.

agitator adapted to be mounted adjacent the bottom of the tub comprising a body portion flaring radially downward and outward toward the bottom of the tub and having relatively shallow closely spaced longitudinally extending corrugations circumferentially spaced on the outer surface thereof, said corrugations increasing in depth toward the end of the agitator adjacent the bottom of the tub, and a shaft for oscillating the agitator.

6. In a washing machine having a tub, an

agitator in the tub comprising a cone-shaped body portion having relatively shallow closely spaced longitudinally extending corrugations circumferentially spaced on the outer surface thereof, said corrugations increasing in depth toward the base of the cone and a shaft for oscillating the agitator.

ERICH FABER. 

